Skip to main content

Wifi Password Retrieval

📡 How to View Saved WiFi Passwords on Linux, Windows, and macOS​

Sometimes, you may need to retrieve a WiFi password stored on your computer. Whether you've forgotten it or need to share it with someone, this guide will show you how to list all saved WiFi passwords on Linux, Windows (PowerShell), and macOS using a single command for each system.

🐧 Linux (Debian-based)​

On Linux, WiFi passwords are stored in the NetworkManager system connections folder. To display all saved passwords, open a terminal and run:

sudo grep -r '^psk=' /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ | awk -F '=' '{print "SSID: " $1 "\nPassword: " $2 "\n"}'

🔍 Explanation:​

  • sudo: Runs the command as root (needed to access network configurations).
  • grep -r '^psk=': Searches recursively for the psk= (pre-shared key) in network configuration files.
  • /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/: The directory where WiFi profiles are stored.
  • awk -F '=' '{print "SSID: " $1 "\nPassword: " $2 "\n"}': Extracts and formats the SSID (WiFi name) and password.

📌 Example Output:​

SSID: MyHomeWiFi
Password: mysecurepassword123

🖥️ Windows (PowerShell)​

On Windows, saved WiFi profiles can be retrieved using netsh. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

(netsh wlan show profiles) -match '\s:\s' | % {$_ -replace '.*:\s'} | % {"SSID: $_ `nPassword: " + ((netsh wlan show profile name="$_" key=clear | Select-String "Key Content") -replace '.*:\s', '') + "`n"}

🔍 Explanation:​

  • netsh wlan show profiles: Lists all saved WiFi profiles.
  • -match '\s:\s': Extracts SSID names from the output.
  • netsh wlan show profile name="SSID" key=clear: Displays details of each WiFi profile, including its password.
  • Select-String "Key Content": Filters the output to show only the password.
  • -replace '.*:\s', '': Removes unnecessary text for clean output.

📌 Example Output:​

SSID: MyHomeWiFi
Password: mysecurepassword123

🍏 macOS​

On macOS, WiFi passwords are stored in the Keychain. To retrieve them, open a terminal and run:

networksetup -listpreferredwirelessnetworks en0 | awk -F': ' 'NR>1 {print $2}' | while read ssid; do echo "SSID: $ssid"; security find-generic-password -ga "$ssid" 2>&1 | grep "password:" | awk -F'"' '{print "Password: " $2}'; echo ""; done

🔍 Explanation:​

  • networksetup -listpreferredwirelessnetworks en0: Lists all saved WiFi SSIDs.
  • awk -F': ' 'NR>1 {print $2}': Extracts only the SSID names.
  • while read ssid; do ... done: Loops through each SSID to find its password.
  • security find-generic-password -ga "$ssid": Retrieves the WiFi password from Keychain (may prompt for your Mac password).
  • grep "password:" | awk -F'"' '{print "Password: " $2}': Extracts and formats the password.

📌 Example Output:​

SSID: MyHomeWiFi
Password: mysecurepassword123

⚠️ Important Notes​

  • Linux: Requires sudo privileges.
  • Windows: PowerShell must be run as Administrator.
  • macOS: The command will prompt for your Mac password when accessing the Keychain.

🎯 Conclusion​

With these simple commands, you can quickly retrieve all saved WiFi passwords on Linux, Windows, and macOS. This can be useful when reconnecting devices, sharing WiFi with friends, or troubleshooting network issues.